Day 16.126: You can't win them all

Yesterday we had another great birding outing (for the last day of my vacation). When it comes to photography and identification, it had some challenges however.

Our first stop was at Wells Reserve at Laudholm:

One of the trails

One of many amazing old trees

A bit of boardwalk lifted by the demise of another tree

Some successful sightings: bobolink, likely swamp sparrow, turkey vulture and great egret

We also saw double-crested cormorants flying in formation like geese:

My biggest failure was to capture a decent photo of an eastern towhee. We saw several, but I only got one fairly well framed shot and one in focus - alas not the same one. Here they are:

eastern towhee

perfect focus at last - not his best angle

Still, we had a very good visit overall.

Our second stop was for lunch in Kennebunk Lower Village, but after that we called in at Timber Point.

Snowy egret and glossy ibis

Clockwise: very obliging hawk (we think probably young red-tailed), turkey vulture (shades of Jungle Book), black-and-white warbler, yellow warbler, distant willet, tree swallow

When I got these - again disappointingly out of focus photos home, we couldn't work it out at all, but thanks to the whatbird forums, we realize it is a young orchard oriole.

So that one just about sneaks into the win column - despite my failings.